Resource: Mental Health for Early Years and Caregivers
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HealthyMindsBC offers a range of online course and resources for early years professionals, educators and school professionals, and caregivers, on their website at: https://healthymindsbc.gov.bc.ca/
The HealthyMindsBC self-paced, no-cost online courses are designed to “provide B.C. Foster caregivers, educators and other professionals with evidence-informed, practical, “everyday” mental health literacy information, strategies and resources to help strengthen their capacity to support children, youth and their families”.
The online resource library, free and accessible to B.C. residents, “serves as a hub offering evidence-informed child and youth mental health resources for B.C. parents, caregivers, educators and other professionals who are supporting children and youth”. The resource library is searchable by topic, age, language and more.
Various resources are available in a variety of languages, including English, French, Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Filipino (Tagalog), Punjabi, Ukrainian and Spanish. Topics include:
Anxiety
Fears
Feelings
Managing Stress
Relaxation Techniques
School Skills
Self-harm/Self-injury
Suicide
Worry
Currently available resources are grouped by Kindergarten-Grade 3, Grades 4-7, and Grades 8-12, but a new section of Early Years resources is planned to be available soon, starting this year.
Current resources for Kindergarten-Grade 3, available as downloadable pdf worksheets, include:
Body Awareness
Coping Cards
Creating a helpful mindset
Creating rhythms and routines
EASE at Home K-3 Collection
Helping children find their feelings
Helping children move their bodies
Learning about worries
Relaxation skills: being mindful
Relaxation skills: calm breathing
Relaxation skills: tense & relax
Spot the thought
Taking brave steps
Worry scale